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Ever since Sony revealed Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, there have been countless blog postings, YouTube videos, and whatnots of hopeful characters that will be included. I’d be remiss not to throw my picks into the lot. I’m going to put it out there right now that characters that have already appeared in fighting games, or already are/likely will in the character lineup have been omitted.

Here we go!

10. The Prince (Katamari Damacy – PS2, PS3)

Okay, honestly I have no idea how he could be implemented. Like… none. I just REALLY want to see him in the game.

9. Wander (Shadow of the Colossus – PS2, PSN)

Wander may strike people as being boring, considering his rather slim inventory. I see it as a strength; He would be the character that utilizes simple melee and ranged attacks instead of complex firing trajectories, “utility” attacks (like some of the counterattack abilities in Super Smash Brothers), or over-the-top special effects. He’s a simple guy — he’s got his sword, his bow, and his trusty horse. Considering he took down 13 walking skyscrapers with just that, he’d probably be okay taking on some of Playstation’s other big names.

8. Overlord Laharl (Disgaea – PS2, PS3)

When I was younger, a friend of mine recommended Disgaea to me and I couldn’t stop myself from thinking “Anime game? Pfft.” 200 hours later, I was drawing prinnies all over everything and literally spending WEEKS at a time grinding characters to Lv9999. I got the Super Robo Suit(s). I got Majorly and Priere. I beat Prinny Baal. I have never invested more time in a video game (outside of my EverQuest days, but let’s not go there.) I’ve gotten way off track here.

Laharl has a metric fuck-ton of support characters that can be called on in battle, as well as a plethora of weapons and abilities to choose from, ranging from basic sword swings to cataclysmic meteor riding a la Dr.Strangelove. He’s a bit of an obscurity to those who haven’t touched Disgaea or the handful of other Altus games he appears in, but he’d be a solid addition to the lineup.

7. Samanosuke Akechi (Onimusha – PS2)

I remember picking this game up the same day I got my PS2. It was the first taste I had of having to be a perfectionist at a game. I remember loading the same area over and over again until I was satisfied with the number of instant-kill-super-counterattacks I’d gotten. This kind of character would be PERFECT for a brawl game like this — his attacks would be modular based on which weapon he has equipped, and if there’s some sort of “Final Smash,” it would be his… what was it called? His Onimusha form? Whatever, the thing where he turns purple and his hair goes white.

YEAH THAT THING

6. Rion (Galerians – PS)

What? Who’s this kid, and why isn’t he listening to Linkin Park in a darkened room? Probably because he’s too busy being captured by a post-apocalyptic totalitarian government, having his memories erased, and being subjected to horrifying experimental procedures designed to spontaneously develop telekinetic abilities in humans. There’s also that thing where the rogue AI that’s essentially murdered the rest of humanity is trying to engineer a race to play God to — yeah, they’re all trying to kill him. Did I mention he can make people’s heads explode with a thought?

Rion would be a perfect mid-range specialist. His powers can be drawn from the one he has in Galerians and its sequel. He’d have no great melee or long-range attacks, but smart players would be able to devastate opponents by keeping them at just the right distance.

5. Albedo Piazzolla (Xenosaga – PS2)

Anyone who has played Final Fantasy 7 likely holds Sephiroth in their top video game villains of all time. He was my number one… until I played Xenosaga. Albedo was the first antagonist that made me feel physically uncomfortable. Here we have a living weapon, capable of rapid and complete cellular regeneration, with no apparent limit. He is cultured, charismatic, and completely insane. The kind of hysterical, megalomaniacal, extremely creepy yet intelligent insanity that can turn your stomach. This kind of crazy. I see Albedo as a utility character; One that can teleport, counter, and inflict various ailments on opponents to soften them up before moving in for the kill.

4. Nathan Drake (Uncharted – PS3)

I feel like this one doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation. Since the release of Uncharted in 2007, Drake has been the scruffy, treasure-hunting badass we all wish we could be. He’s agile, he’s got a good choice of weapons, and let’s not forget that rapier wit.

Seriously. Look at that smirk. The guy’s hanging from a cliff on a vine with a pistol drawn, and he’s STILL photogenic.

3. Nariko (Heavenly Sword – PS3)

Video games need more characters like Nariko, and by that I mean strong females. This classy lady doesn’t need anything but her magic sword(s) and her bitchin’ hairdo. When you look at the gameplay and mechanics of Heavenly Sword, you can’t help but picture it in an arena fighting game. I imagine she’d be a character lacking in strong ranged attacks, but making up for it with devastating melee capability.

2. Aya Brea (Parasite Eve – PS, PSP)

Aya is hands-down my favorite female protagonist. She’s independent, tough, drop-dead gorgeous… oh, and she can manipulate the world around her by flexing her MITOCHONDRIA. What the fu — YES. Parasite Eve’s story was fantastic (and a little fantastiCAL.) The science behind mitochondria suddenly mutating otherwise harmless creatures into bloodthirsty killing machines was a stretch, yeah, but it’s one of the more original “hey here’s why everything is trying to kill you” mechanisms I’ve seen in a long time. I also really enjoyed the fusion of survival horror and RPG. If she were to pop up in All Stars, I’m thinking a character that uses (or manipulates THEN uses) the environment to her advantage.

1. Ashley Riot (Vagrant Story – PS, PSN)

I will shit a brick if this guy winds up in All-Stars. Hands down my favorite male protagonist. He is conflicted, brooding, borderline superhuman, and tortured by his past. He’s also cursed, but I won’t spoil that part for you should you decide to pick up Vagrant Story (which you should because it’s awesome and has a nice steep learning curve.) Also, that hair. How the hell does he do that?

I could go into literal pages over how much I love Vagrant Story, and why — but I wont, because you should just go play it. I’d love to see Ashley as a short-to-mid range character, mostly relying on melee attacks with the Fandango with the occasional use of Break abilities and grimoires.

Do bear in mind this is a wishlist, not what I think will actually make it into the title. I couldn’t make a solid prediction on that if my life depended on it.

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